


The Persistence of Annoyance

by writes_with_sass



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fantasy AU, fluffy goodness, i dont even know, spring theme means fluffy animals lemme tell ya
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-10
Updated: 2016-04-10
Packaged: 2018-06-01 09:11:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6512230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writes_with_sass/pseuds/writes_with_sass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oikawa takes a break to stretch an old injury on a morning run, and encounters a peculiar mammal. Or, the risks of interpreting The Princess and the Frog. Or, Oikawa has this habit of not giving up and Iwaizumi takes a bit to warm up to him.</p><p>Ok you got me, I have no idea how to write a summary. Expect fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Persistence of Annoyance

**Author's Note:**

> A short iwaoi fic for imagine-sports-trash for the Haikyuu spring fling!!!
> 
> When I think of spring, I think of animals. Also, I've seen a lot of the fandom compare Iwa-chan to a hedgehog as well! And well, who doesn't love a bit of fantasy?
> 
> I hope you enjoy <3

Hard work was everything. Hard work is what Oikawa Tooru excelled at better than anyone he knew. And in order to retain this sentiment, Oikawa Tooru was jogging up the biggest hill in the Miyagi prefecture at 7 o'clock sharp so he could get a workout in before he had to be at school. He breathed harder and sucked in precious oxygen as he bent forward and climbed the steep incline. It was a shame he couldn’t focus on the sunrise as it painted the sky with fire.

He was about three fourths of the way up when he felt the first twinge in his right knee. He acknowledged it by furrowing his brow and moved farther up the hill until he reached the apex and began to jog across horizontal ground. He passed onto a gradually narrowing path until it became wide enough for a person and a dog to jog side by side. By then, Tooru’s knee was protesting vehemently and Oikawa had to stop along the path to stretch his old injury and rest.

He came upon an old, worn down stump and decided this was his destination. The stump was what remained of a willow tree and was in such a state of decay that bright red mushrooms cropped out from between the cracks of wood and moss claimed the bark otherwise. The top of the stump was nearly flat and a perfect platform for Oikawa to put his heel on so he could stretch his sore muscles just as his physical therapist taught him.

The taut pull of his abductors and gastrocnemius start to lessen after a few minutes of stretching so Oikawa allows himself a few minutes of rest on the forest seat. With this moment of time, Tooru breathes in deeply through his nose and tastes the forest. A mixture of floral nectar, soft breeze and the anticipation of a new day reinvigorates him. Today he would master his out-of-bounds set in practice. His goal was pinpoint accuracy from the back corner.

Oikawa rested his hands on the stump and let his head dip back so he could recline and close his eyes. He had so many plans for the day, so much work to do. Whether or not he was a genius, he worked harder than everyone else and life would not take away his title. Tooru smirked to himself, imagining his rivals on the ground, awestruck by his achievements. He saw his bullies weep, and his friends cheer. He got up and nodded to the tree on the other side of the path. Today’s the day.

Tooru gave one last stretch of both his legs before he noticed his shoe lace hanging limply to one side. He bent down to tie them and froze. Crawling out of a hole at the base of a stump was the most peculiar creature Oikawa had ever seen. Although he recognized the species immediately, he was utterly entranced by it’s unique features.

A hedgehog, probably European, probably someone’s pet who wrongly released into the wild, was all but glaring at him as it made its way out from underneath its home under the willow stump. It’s face was cute, Tooru thought, but his eyes kept gravitating back to the two thick eyebrows drawn together at its forehead. Oikawa wasn’t knowledgeable about small spiny rodent anatomy, but he was at least 80% sure hedgehogs didn’t have such prominent eyebrows. Other than that, the creature had the most peculiar eyes. Its irises and pupils were small, too small for any animal other than a human, and they seemed to slice right through Oikawa, seeing straight to his core. It was unnerving, but Oikawa held its gaze, challenging it back as if to say ‘you’re awfully confident for such a small creature.’ 

The peculiar creature seems to stand its ground, glaring right back at Oikawa, ‘and you’re awfully rude for a human to just sit on my house.’ Tooru laughs and stretches his hand forwards, palm towards the sky, going slow so as not to anger the hedgehog anymore. Regardless, the creature growls and its squeaky grunt makes Tooru chuckle. He isn’t frightened by this animal’s display, rather he is fascinated. He has never seen such concentrated frustration in such a small thing.

The hedgehog stamped its feet to test Tooru’s resolve and when he didn’t go away, he felt steam pour from his ears. It was times like these when he wished he was a porcupine so he could shoot his quills at the annoyance and nap in his house in peace. The outstretching hand made him puff up his spikes as much as he could to warn the human that he was dangerous.

Oikawa saw the anger and retracted his hand, sitting cross legged on the ground like it was story time. He propped his elbows on his knees and smiled at the hedgehog, speaking in a quiet voice, “Don’t worry, Zumi-chan.” The hedgehog frowned deeply and Oikawa chuckled, “Don’t give me that look. I have to call you something.” The creature raised a peculiar eyebrow, mocking Oikawa’s childish habit.

Tooru plucked a yellow flower from the edge of grass and twirled it in his fingers before offering it to the hedgehog, “Is this your house, Zumi-chan?” The hedgehog turned so he could look at Tooru from the side. “It’s a very lovely stump. I bet you’ve worked hard to secure this property. Willow is a good wood.” The hedgehog lowered its spikes and gave Tooru a curious look. This annoyance was interesting. Hairless and hiding his condescension, but interesting. Tooru took the hedgehog’s silence as his cue to continue, “Did you decorate it yourself? The toadstools are a nice touch.”

The hedgehog looked at the stump and for the first time in a long time took in the state of his home. There were three, large red toadstools on his south facing wall, the main entrance was a mess of dead leaves, and the opening near the top of the stump had gotten bigger. Still, that was no excuse for a boy who just happened to be galavanting in the forest to decide to sit on it. He actually was proud of his home and he marched right up to the annoyance, snatched the flower from his grip and carefully arranged the delicate blossom near the entrance hole, adding a splash of sunshine to the Earthy brown. Then he turned his tail and looked directly into the caramel eyes of the annoyance, a victorious smirk on his little whiskers.

Tooru felt his smile grow into a ridiculous grin. The sheer absurdity of this encounter had waves of laughter rolling out of his stomach. He reached for more of the yellow blossoms and laid them on the ground for the hedgehog to pick up. “Now your home is even brighter, Zumi-chan!” The hedgehog snuffed and scurried to pick up the blossoms so he could arrange them. When he was done he used the fissures and cracks in the stump to climb to the top so he could stand proud over his work.

Oikawa clapped and made the ‘ok’ symbol with his thumb and index finger when the hedgehog puffed his chest out like a superhero. He couldn’t resist scooting closer, fingers itching to pet the little mammal. The hedgehog saw Tooru’s actions and took a step back, sniffing the air and sending a wary glance his way. Oikawa slowly lifted his hand towards the animal, trying again to gain permission to touch. “It’s alright, Zumi-chan. I just want to pet you.” The hedgehog seemed incredulous, but the annoyance’s persistence was wearing him down. So he willed himself to move closer and sniff the hand. Then he nodded, bowing his head to give Tooru permission to touch his spikes.

He expected the touch to be clumsy, as encounters with annoyances had been in the past, but Tooru’s fingers were as gentle on his back as they were with the yellow blossoms. They carefully stroked down his spine and it felt good to be pet like this. It was soothing, the long, careful strokes. So soothing that the hedgehog pressed his head against Oikawa’s palm, requesting to be held.

Oikawa’s heart sung with glee, as the little creature climbed into his hands. He lifted the hedgehog closer to his face so it could familiarize itself with Tooru further. When it was done, Oikawa lifted his thumbs and brushed them along the hedgehog’s sides, stroking carefully with the grain of its spikes. After a few minutes, he brought the hedgehog up to his lips and kissed it’s cool, black nose.

A swirling sensation engulfed his senses, worse than vertigo, and knocked him on the ground. Oikawa dropped to his knees and closed his eyes. His head was spinning. Panic rolled through his body in tremors. And then it was over. The world stood still, holding its breath. Tooru opened his eyes and found himself looking eye to eye with the hedgehog. He shook his head to clear away the residual dizziness. But through the fog, he was glad the little creature hadn’t been hurt.

Oikawa used his arms to push himself up, but when the muscles had fully extended themselves he was only standing with his eyes level to the stump.

“Are you okay?” came a voice from below him.

Oikawa started, jumping into the air like a frightened cat. His eyes trained on the hedgehog. It was looking at him with those peculiar eyes. But instead of frightening him, they felt like a comfort. Tooru stretched his hand out to pet the creature, but something caught his eye.

Instead of a hand, there was a brown paw reaching towards the hedgehog. A small brown paw with five toes and claws, covered in fur. Oikawa gulped. “I-Is that?”

The hedgehog snorted, “You seemed like a fox to me as soon as you made eye contact with me.”

Tooru’s breath caught in his throat, “You can talk!”

The hedgehog smirked, “And?”

“Zumi-chan, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Don’t call me that. My name is Iwaizumi. And I was talking before. You just couldn’t understand me,” Iwaizumi huffed. He laughed inwardly as he watched Tooru’s eyes widen. The fox’s nose twitched as the fear was suddenly replaced by excitement. Oikawa leaped onto all four of his feet and looked himself over.

“How cool! I always thought I would see a UFO before I encountered magic!” He leaped over Iwaizumi’s head onto the stump and flexed his back leg, pleased that his transformation had healed his injured knee. “Is this permanent? Or a temporary spell? Wow Iwa-chan! This is like the Princess and the Frog!”

“Hey! Get off of my house! And don’t give me a nickname! It’s just Iwaizumi. And it’s more complicated than that.”

Tooru lept off the stump and sat in front of the hedgehog, “What do you mean, Iwa-chan?”

“I mean, no it’s not permanent but no it's not temporary either.”

Oikawa cocked his head, feeling his large ears tilt with the movement, “Does that mean I can turn back into a human?”

Iwaizumi nodded, “I assume so. But you might have a natural requirement. You might only be able to do it if there’s a waxing moon in the sky, for example.”

“Do you have a natural requirement too?”

“That’s none of your business. But since you’ve had your fun, will you leave me in peace so I may continue resting?”

“Aww, but Iwa-chan! I just got here!”

“What’s your name, fox?”

“Tooru! Oikawa Tooru!”

“Oikawa, I am going back in my home. If I wake up and you’re still here, I am not going to help you find your natural requirement, got it?”

Tooru thought of his classmates and teammates back in town. If he wasn’t able to return, he would lose his title. And all the hard work he had put in would be for nothing. So he sat still as Iwaizumi lumbered back to his home under the stump. When it was clear the hedgehog wasn’t coming out for awhile, the fox decided to explore the forest. So he walked a little ways in and kept his nose to the ground, smelling a million things he’d never smelled before. And then he returned to the stump, expecting Iwaizumi to be waiting, but he could hear the hedgehog sleeping inside. So Tooru stuck his nose in the opening and sniffed. In here there was a cacophony of new smells as well. But the hedgehog didn’t stir. Deciding to wait it out, Tooru laid down next to the willow stump and closed his eyes. By now the sun had risen over the mountains and Oikawa knew he was late.

**Author's Note:**

> Zumi comes from the japanese word for hedgehog! (or at least what google told me it was -> harinezumi)  
> Come find me on tumblr @ les-snungglemuffins!!!


End file.
